Hellobee Boards

Reading that made be glad we'd chosen to live where we are. It's not perfect, but it has it's perks, and safety is one of them. Though I'm not sure if I'm a free ranged parent, I have noticed that I'm more relaxed and let things be. Before I used to be so concerned and even appalled by seeing unsupervised kids climbing up trees and dangle down huge rocks in the forest (they did this during recess). But now, I find myself smiling and wanting to take a picture?!!

Have I mentioned how the preschool has the younger kids sleep outside in huge prams. They're all under the awning by the front door! I never, EVER thought I'd be fine with that. Now that's where LO naps every day!

I find free range parenting fascinating as a philosophy. I believe that rules and discipline are indeed necessary, as @Lindsay05: mentioned. I don't think that rules and discipline are exclusive of independence and accountability- I actually think they go hand in hand. You can't be accountable and independent if you don't understand the rules of how to function in the situation you're in, and you can't be independent if you don't have the discipline to think for yourself.

I also think that knowledge of crimes is affecting how people parent. When I looked up crime rates from my area, I noticed that the highest crime rate was right when my mom was letting me go off and play independently, not within shouting distance. Now, it's much lower. The thing is, when I check with my students I found out that over half of them are not allowed to leave their yards without and adult- they're fifth graders. There has actually been a sharp decline in the crime in our area plus parents have a higher degree of communication ability with their children, yet parents are getting stricter and stricter. I'm not saying it's right or wrong (heck, my mom was probably an idiot for letting her five year old go off and play in the woods), but it's just interesting to look at from a sociological standpoint.